HANOI -- Vietnam’s National Assembly will ratify the Vietnam-EU free trade agreement at its upcoming meeting, Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh said on Wednesday.

Anh said the European Parliament’s move to approve the deal is a “significant milestone” in the relation between the Southeast Asian country and the EU.

“The Ministry of Industry and Trade will submit the deal to the State President before submitting to the National Assembly for approval,” Anh said minutes after the European Parliament approved the deal.

Vietnam’s National Assembly, the country’s lawmaking body, is scheduled to meet in May.

Many sewers along the streets in Ho Chi Minh City have their entrances blocked by garbage on a regular basis, negatively impacting urban esthetics and the environment while helping cause serious flooding.

Despite the sweltering weather in Hanoi these days, many young people still flock to lotus ponds surrounding the capital city’s iconic Ho Tay (West Lake) to pose for Instgram-ready photos with a sea of blooming flowers.